Crunching the Numbers Instead of the Potato Chips :-)

One of the first things someone will ask when talking about weight loss is, “How long did it take?”  Like I said before, I didn’t really make this change to lose weight.  Once I started losing, it was a combination of seeing and feeling the results that kept me going.  Since details are fun, here ya go:

 

In the first 6 weeks, I lost 20lbs.  Understand that a lot of this was water weight and the result of cutting Starbucks bottled drinks, Coke, and Dr. Pepper out of my life.  I was drinking probably 1,000-1,200 calories a day on average.

 

During the second 6 weeks, I lost 13lbs.  This included the period of time that I went to IHC and Student Convention.  I was nervous about how I would do with traveling and being way out of routine for days at a time.  Apparently, I did fine.

 

June - 6lbs   Two weeks at church camp - I was creative in my choices, and only had cheese sticks at the snack stand 3x.  :-)

July – 4.2lbs

August – 4lbs.  This included 6 days on our Smoky Mountain vacation.  Once again, I planned my indulgences.

September – 7lbs  Interesting how going back to school probably helped me lose a little more. 

October – 6.2lbs 

November - 4lbs Thank you, Thanksgiving!

 

I set my calorie counter to lose two pounds per week, and my activity level to light activity.  Notice that in these months I was closer to a 1.5lb per week average. That’s because I’m not on a diet.  I changed my lifestyle.  I indulge.  I enjoy myself.  And I will continue to do that, even if it means I only lose 3-4lbs per month.

 

Slower weight loss is better for me for several reasons:

• Loose skin will tighten better with slower loss
• My clothes last longer
• It is sustainable

*If you're just jumping into the conversation, see all posts tagged weight loss.